Two Dublin restaurants and one Dublin service station were issued food closure orders in December.
Dublin accounted for half of the six total closure orders issued to Irish food businesses by the Health Service Executive last month.
And evidence of rodent activity was the primary reason for the three closure orders served to food businesses in the capital in December.
The Circle K Service Station on Tallaght’s Belgard Road had to close from December 6 to December 9 as a result of evidence of mice infestation in an area where food is handled.
Beef & Lobster on Parliament Street received a closure order on December 11 due to the discovery of a significant amount of rodent droppings in storage areas. A live rodent was also spotted on the premises. The order was lifted on December 12.
The second of the Dublin restaurants was The Carrot’s Tail in Rathmines, which was served a closure order on December 17 due to the evidence of rodent activity and a live mouse being spotted running along a skirting board. The order was lifted on December 20.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland confirmed on Wednesday morning that 124 Enforcement Orders in total were served on food businesses for breaches of food safety legislation in 2019.
Commenting on the annual figure, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI said: “Enforcements, especially Closure Orders and Prohibition Orders, are never served for minor food safety breaches. They are served on food businesses only when a serious risk to consumer health has been identified or where there are a number of ongoing breaches of food legislation that could cause serious hygiene or other operational issues.
“There is no excuse for careless food safety practices. Food inspectors are encountering the same issues time and time again. The typical reasons why Enforcement Orders have to be served are easily avoidable. While the vast majority of food businesses are compliant with food safety legislation, we still continue to face negligent practices that are potentially putting consumer’s health at risk.
“It is disappointing to see an increase in Enforcement Orders for the second consecutive year and businesses should take action to prevent the trend continuing into 2020.”
